Impact Knockouts Champ Deonna Purrazzo Really Wanted To Retire Mickie James

The best-laid plans of mice and knockouts often go awry, and such was the case for the Impact Knockouts Championship main event at Impact Rebellion earlier this month. Knockouts Champion Mickie James was set to defend her title against former champions Jordynne Grace and Deonna Purrazzo, with the added stipulation that should James lose her title, she would also lose her career, but a rib injury led to James being pulled from the match, and Purrazzo defeating Grace for the title.

"I think it's bittersweet," Purrazzo told WrestleZone. "I think going into this match, the three-way dynamic was really interesting because I've never beaten Mickie James and Jordynne Grace has never beaten me, so it was kinda like if Jordynne comes out victorious or I come out victorious this is kinda history-making and game-changing in that type of way, and then on top of [that] Mickie James won the Knockouts World Championship with this huge stipulation that if she lost, she retires, so you have to think what her mindset would be when she loses again."

Purrazzo believes there's a lot of interesting ways for that initial story to have played out, also saying she's desperate to eventually beat Mickie and "get that thorn out of [her] side." Despite not getting to tangle with James again, Purrazzo is grateful that she was able to main event Rebellion with Grace. "What more does a wrestler want?" Purrazzo asked about winning the title in the main event. "That's the pinnacle, right? I know that target on my back is huge, especially for Mickie James, and I know she's not going to let it go." Purrazzo expects James to be back, "guns a-blazing," but she says she's going to be ready for the former WWE Women's Champion. "I'm going to beat Mickie James."

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